This invention is an improvement,for a batting tee for baseball as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163 to Tanner.
A batting tee is used by baseball players to practice hitting baseballs held at various positions within or near to the strike zone. By using a batting tee to practice hitting a stationary ball, players can improve their batting swings and learn to hit balls from various locations within and near to the strike zone. Because many players wish to practice hitting balls from locations that are awkward or unfamiliar to them, or from which the player has previously experienced difficulty hitting a ball, it is a common accident for players to strike the batting tee with the bat, rather than hitting the baseball held atop the tee. The result is that batting tees typically suffer tremendous physical abuse throughout their lives.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163 discloses a durable batting tee having a number of specialized features intended to avoid wear, tear, and breakage to which a typical batting tee is subjected. Amongst these features are a split washer that is used within a nut and threaded compression fitting to enable a batter to tighten the split washer about the tee to hold the ball at a desired height. The compression fitting was used to enable the tee to withstand impacts from a bat, yet still be able to be tightened sufficiently to hold the telescoping members at a desired position. Although this feature works well for its purpose, it does have the drawback of requiring a batter to twist the compression fitting in order to loosen it for adjustment of the telescoping member, and to twist it in the opposite direction to tighten the fitting when the proper height is obtained.
The top of the tee disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163 is shown as having a grommet having a rounded top surface and extending a short distance into the topmost portion of the uppermost telescoping member. This configuration prevents the flexible cone-shaped ball holder from splitting from the force of a baseball bat hitting it against the rigid upper portion of the uppermost telescoping member. However, the grommet may, after repeated impacts, become loose and separate from the upper telescoping member, being knocked out of the batting tee or otherwise become lost.
The strand that is drawn through the flexible ball holder serves the purpose of maintaining the wrapped, flexible sheet in a frusto-conical shape while still allowing the ball holder to be deformed when struck by a baseball bat. However, after repeated strikings, the strand has been observed to cause a small rent, or tear in the area of the ball holder through which the strand is threaded. With repeated use, this tear can become enlarged, resulting in a loss of structural integrity of the ball holder and a need to rebuild the ball holder and reattached it to the batting tee.
These problems, which have become apparent only through rugged use of the batting tee by professional baseball teams, are corrected in the improved durable baseball tee that is the subject of this invention.
This invention uses an improved structure for holding two telescoping pieces in a set relationship without the need for a threaded compression fitting. In the prior art, a compression fitting has applied tightening friction about an inner telescoping member using a split washing having some flexibility. This invention uses an elongated split washer having an external, circumferential flange, to provide sufficient friction to hold an inner-telescoping member within an outer one. The elongated split washer fits within the uppermost portion of the outer telescoping member for a short distance which may be between about one-half inch to about two inches, depending upon the coefficient of friction at the interface of the inner surface of the washer and the outer surface of the inner telescoping member. The washer is slightly flexible, and is split to enable it to be squeezed against the inner telescoping member. The washer has an external flange about its circumference at the upper end to prevent the washer from slipping completely within the outer telescoping member. Although washers found in the prior art may be elongated or have flanges, they are not split and do not have the ability to apply friction through circumferential squeezing. When the washer of this invention is used, a sufficient squeezing force may be applied by encasing the washer and uppermost portion of the outer telescoping member within a standard rubberized or other flexible support piece. The support piece may be similar to rubber or nylon protectors used on metal furniture legs to protect the floor from scratches with the, exception that the support piece used for the batting tee will have an opening at either end through which a telescoping member will be inserted. The support piece may also have inner circumferential ridges to assist in gripping the outer telescoping support member to which it is attached.
The support piece exerts a circumferential squeezing force upon the elongated split washer, holding the washer against the inner telescoping member with sufficient pressure to prevent slippage between them. Because the elongated washer has a greater surface area in contact with the inner telescoping member than does the split washer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163, it is not necessary to apply the force of a threaded compression washer to prevent slippage. Rather, the circumferential pressure applied by the flexible support piece is sufficient to prevent slippage between the washer and the telescoping member until extra force is applied longitudinally to the inner telescoping member by the batter to cause the inner telescoping member to be moved and repositioned.
The flexible grommet at the top of the uppermost telescoping member may be provided with additional support against working loose by elongating the grommet to extend into the upper portion of the uppermost telescoping member for a distance substantially greater than that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163. An elongated grommet that fits snugly within the uppermost telescoping member experiences additional side support that prevents it from wobbling within the tee when struck with a bat. Additional friction due to the larger surface interface between the grommet and the interior surface of the uppermost telescoping member keeps the grommet from being pulled out of the upper telescoping member. The elongated grommet is substantially less likely than the prior art grommet to separate from the tee or to become unstable when repeatedly hit with a baseball bat.
It has also been discovered that a properly shaped and wrapped flexible sheet may be used to hold the baseball without the necessity of having a flexible strand be threaded through the sheet. The elimination of the flexible strand also eliminates the likelihood that the ball holder will rip or tear after repeated strikings with a baseball bat, with the result that the ball holder will have to be repaired or rebuilt less frequently than the ball holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163.
It is an object of this invention to make an improved batting tee that does not require a threaded compression coupling, to maintain, throughout the life of the batting tee, an appropriate amount of friction such that two telescoping members can be set in a desired position. It is another object of the invention to prevent a flexible ball holder from becoming split when struck by a bat at the upper end of the uppermost telescoping member by using an elongated grommet that will not separate from the tee. It is yet another object of the invention to configure a ball holder to a frusto-conical shape without subjecting the sheeted material to rents and tears caused by having a flexible strand be threaded through the sheets of material. It is still a further object of this invention to combine these improvements into an improved batting tee that will withstand rugged use for a period of years without breaking or requiring substantial repair.